Since coming over to the Giants from the Pirates in 2009, it seems that Sanchez has always been on the disabled list. He has battled shoulder, arm and now back problems throughout his time in a Giants uniform. After this latest setback, it seems that fans may not see him in a Giants uniform again, despite his preseason promise to be back by opening day (which didn’t happen).

The surgery officially sidelines Sanchez for the season, and may inhibit his chances of resigning with the Giants or another club, for that matter.

Before his recent back trouble, Sanchez dislocated his shoulder on June 10th of last season and has not played a game in the majors since. His body pretty much gave up on him in spring training this year when his back became an issue while rehabbing his injured shoulder.

Now, nearly a year has gone by without seeing Sanchez in a uniform, and teams will not be willing to pay $6 million (the value of the extension Sanchez signed with the Giants last year) for a 34-year-old second baseman who has not been able to stay healthy.

However, Sanchez, when healthy, was a productive Giant, hitting .290 and playing a solid second base. He contributed greatly to the 2010 World Series squad (1.7 WAR) in the regular season and had a historic day at the plate in game one of the Series hitting three doubles in his first three at-bats. A former batting champion, Sanchez may still garner interest from teams willing to gamble on a player of his potential, but only time will tell.

Meanwhile, with the trade deadline creeping up, the Giants have manged to replace Sanchez at second base with veteran Ryan Theriot, who has solidified his spot in the lineup as the two-hitter. Theriot, a former shortstop, seems to be the current answer at second, but his double play partner, Brandon Crawford, has been less productive with the bat.

With Sanchez now definitely out for the year, the Giants may try to add someone to bolster the middle infield. But Crawford’s average has been climbing over the last few weeks, and Joaquin Arias is a capable backup, so don’t expect anything big moving forward.

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Thank You for 2010; enjoy all the All Star votes this year. But thankfully its final for this year (no more speculating) and time to move on to see if 2B options are enough for Giants.

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I gave up on him about 2 1/2 months ago. He could have played with a bad back..its not THAT debilitating for a 34 year old as light as he weighs. Its baseball,not football. Sanchez wont play with any pain.

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At one end of the spectrum you have Stephen Hawking at the top of his game despite MS…and the othe, Freddie Sanchez who made a dislocated shoulder recovery into a near “Kars for Freddie” illness of huge proportions.

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